Little needed to live happy

March 23 - April 3, 2014 (12 days)

Lums Pond State Park - Bear, DE
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CONTENTS

RV LIFE

BROWSING THE WWW

HOUSE HUNTING

PETS

BOOK REVIEWS

RESTAURANT REVIEW

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RV LIFE:
We are currently in Bear, DE. Yeah!...Not! But it IS better than the desert or Texas.Lums Pond State Park has large, spread out sites, with large shade trees, an open field and a huge pond. My idea of comfort.
We have been in three different sites so far at this park. There are only 8 sites with electric, none with water or sewer. We weren't able to make reservations very far ahead, because of not knowing our schedule because of our engine trouble in Texas and looking at property in Tennessee. We were only able to book for 12 days. The weekends fill up here from Spring through Fall.
In those 12 days, Scott has been busy helping his family clear out the family home of 50+ years & visiting his parents in an independent living apartment (Mom) and assisted living (Dad). I have been glued to the computer cleaning up records, taking on more responsibility for the English Setter Rescue.Yes, more responsibility! But the good news, it is mainly computer work, not people work. It has been very time consuming, actually like a real job but I can set my own hours.
Nearing the end of our 12 days, I knew the family home was not ready to be abandoned yet. I suggested to Scott that we should stay longer. He agreed, but where to go??? There really is very little in the way of RV parks in this area of DE/NJ. There is a 2 week limit here at Lums Pond State Park. Hmmm, maybe...if I reserve the next two weeks under my account (reserve America) and not Scott's, we can get away with staying longer, IF there are any open spots.
Turns out, the 2 week limit is only from Memorial Day thru Labor Day. Found one site available with electric for the time we need except for the weekend, of course! So we decide to reserve a no utilities site for the weekend and then the electric site for 10 days.
Boondocking is not for me. It seems every time we try to boondock, it is overcast and cold. The RV heater sucks up battery power quickly and is inefficient. I do not like being cold in my home.
And yes, our weekend boondocking was not fun...for me. I don't like having to think which outlet is wired for solar power/battery or what lights and appliances I can run at the same time. This RV is my home, I'm not "camping". I'm spoiled by having to space heaters available to make the RV toasty warm on a dreary, rainy day. We have the Mr Buddy or something like that propane heater, but it uses up the little propane bottles within a few hours.
Now Scott on the other hand, was very happy with our two day boondocking experience. Everything worked as it should. He did a great job installing the solar panels and wiring. He also wired the generator, so he doesn't have to take it out of the bed of the truck to run to the RV. I'm happy for him. I did let him know i don't enjoy boondocking, but if he want's to do it again, I can put up with it.
Electric! The little things that make me happy. Prior to our weekend boondocking, I was wishing we had water and sewer, but after boondocking, I'm THRILLED to just have electric again!
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BROWSING THE WWW:
Wow! The World has survived without my blogging regularly.
Wow! My family has survived without my blogging regularly.
Wow! Fellow RV'rs, crafters, readers have survived without my blogging regularly.
Wow! I have survived without blogging regularly.
Things have calmed down once again in my life. My stress level is lowered, yet I'm still quite depressed, but I can now "hide" that fact and function again.
Life has gone on all around me.
Susan from Beluga's Excellent Adventure has left Florida is moving North.
Carla from Cozy Be Gone is getting ready to head out from their Winter stay in Alabama. She has become quite the blogger with info on what to do, where to go, RV mods, etc.
Marikay from Merikay's Dream is no longer parked in their driveway. They closed on their house recently in California. She is officially a full timer, although they really have been for a couple of months, just not traveling yet.
These are the 3 main blogs I keep up with.
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HOUSE HUNTING:
We still have the itch to settle down into a house again. I am very concerned about the commitment again. We will be heading to Tennessee vis West Virginia next. There is lots of real estate available in Tennessee. Especially, since we are open to looking at houses throughout the state, although we prefer the Eastern, mountainous area. I hope that I have learned my lesson about collecting "stuff", just because we will have the space. Living in a RV proves how little we really need to be happy. I still remember purging our NJ house of the things we've had and not used for 20 years, just because it was there was room and it was out of the way. Now with emptying the in-law's house, again, the things we keep for "memories" yet they are stored in the attic or basement and never to be looked at again, until moving. Suddenly all those "precious" items that were saved are no longer precious! We're told to just throw them out or donate. My greatest lesson learned is that we don't need much to be happy.
I keep thinking what it is that wants me to have a house again and be stuck in one spot.
1) I was not unhappy just staying home instead of going on vacation. As long as I find my sweet spot to relax, I am happy in the same place day in and day out.
2) I want a bigger kitchen.
3) I want room to foster dogs.
4) I want a fenced yard for the dogs to be able to run.
That's about it. I've traveled plenty. I've seen many places I never expected to. I am ready to settle and if anyone wants to visit, that's fine. They can come to me instead of me going to them. I'm glad we have experienced full time RV'ing and will continue if the almost perfect home and property don't appear.
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PETS:
Devin has been having a blast at Lums Pond State Park. Because it is practically empty, except for weekends, I've been walking him with a 25' lead. He loves running and bouncing around. Grabbing sticks and giving them to me. He has great recall while on the long lead. He doesn't pull on the lead and he returns periodically for a fly by to check in with me. Now if he would only do that off leash also. Devin has also been able to take regular quick dips in the pond that is really a decent sized lake.
And of course, Devin is known for enjoying the little luxury of comfy chairs.
I visited a dog rescue friend recently & of course I took our two Setters. Lynne has a fenced in back yard which Devin would really enjoy. After some running around and sniffing her two Setters, Devin settled down.

Settled into the Lynn's comfy chair.

And then we've been  clearing out the in-law's house. We don't want to leave the dogs in the RV if they can be with us. So sure enough, Devin settles in nicely while we work.

Ahhh, leather, nice!

And then of course, "Home is where you park it". Devin always settles in his blue chair at each site we stay at.

Ahhh, just right. (Lums Pond in the background))

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I listened to the audio version. Oh when will this end? I tried, but after many hours just had to end my own torture of listening to this book. The killer is definitely a sicko, but the story just rambled on and on. I couldn't figure out who was who and dreaded trying to finish.
BOOK REVIEW: (Kindle edition)

Soul of Flame by Rebecca Ethington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series continues to keep me obsessed. This is the 4th in the 5 book series. Joslyn learns her strengths & how to use them.  Joslyn learns how to deal with love interests Ryland and Ilyan. Her hatred for Edmund grows. The book is leading up to the battle of good vs. evil.
I am still in awe of the imagination of these fantasy/paranormal writers.

Coming Home by Laurie Breton
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'm so glad this was free.
At 57 yrs old, I just don't have the patience for an 18 year old girl getting married, (at least she wasn't pregnant), and then after knowing someone for a short time, decide to marry the other. That's a fickle 18 yr old for you. No mention of how she broke the news to her ex fiance.
And then she and her wanna be rock star hubby start having problems. Gee, I couldn't see that coming. Relationships developed so quickly that I felt like I was reading an abridged version of the book. I did not finish.
I have been enjoying Young Adult books, but this one is more teenage, NON adult genre.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
It's been a while since I've reviewed a restaurant. We haven't been eating out much.
Italian Kitchen - Pennsville, NJ

Our rating 3.5 out of 5
We've ordered take out a number of times from here.
They have an excellent pumpkin cake roll with cream cheese filling.
Their chef's salad is huge and full of all the goodies a chef's salad should have.
I was expecting the garlic sticks to be typical "Olive Garden" type which I'm not impressed by. These garlic sticks aren't very garlicky, but they taste homemade. A deliciously seasoned dough that I just can't enough of.
Chicken and Italian Strombolis were: full of meat and cheese. Yum.
I was disappointed in their pasta dinner though. Very plain tomato sauce and over cooked pasta.
The pizza was also just ok. Probably the best in Pennsville, NJ, but that is not saying much.

I have a headache...

Jan. 13 - ?, 2014

Fort Stockton RV Park, Fort Stockton, TX

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CONTENTS
RV LIFE
BEVERAGES
PETS
CRAFTS
LIFE HACK
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RV LIFE:

I have a headache and feeling down.

Well, our engine ordeal has finally gotten to me. We've both dealt with it quite well, until now. Scott seems to still be doing ok. I would probably feel better if I didn't have a deadline to be in Tennessee on Feb. 8 for Dina's transport to NJ for adoption. That can be changed, but this transport involves at least a dozen different volunteers all working together and giving of their time and gas. I'd really rather not cancel.

Our engine did arrive on time on Wednesday, Feb. 29. Fernandez said it should take 1.5 days to get the engine installed. We were told, hopefully Friday or Saturday we'd have our truck. Well, it's been 3.5 days and now Sunday with no truck. I am beaten down..

The dreary, overcast, cold day doesn't help

Too add to my depression, our Eng Setter Rescue is having multiple issues to deal with. Our rescue has grown quite large, with not the increase in volunteers to help with our expansion. I think many of us are getting burnt out. I'm retired and I feel like I spend too much time doing Rescue work. Most of our volunteers work full time and some are single ladies too. Oh my gosh! How do they find time in the day?

Another added stressor is our consideration of buying a house again.

We were so relieved when our NJ house sold and the  lack of responsibility.

But, I think a big part of the relief was because of the expense of living in NJ and that we hated our house and closeness of our neighbors. Not so much the responsibility. 

Scott is constantly working on things in the RV. There is always some small or larger problem to deal with this house that is shaken, not stirred while we travel. Right now our main overhead living room light does not work. It's not the bulb. The fan (same combo unit) is not working either. It was working just the other day and now it's not. Scott emptied the basement, tried to follow the correct wire, checked the breakers etc. Everything else works on the same breaker. So the wire is interrupted somewhere. 

I truly feel like a "kept woman". I see him cleaning the roof, trying to find the problem with our electric, cooking dinner, grocery shopping, etc. All the while, I'm on the computer or knitting. Life is still good in spite of the crap that we've got to deal with.

What the hell do I have to be depressed about? It will all be dealt with, BUT, I still have a headache, a baaad headache.

I don't have too many friends (by choice). I have ...

friends that are family

friends that I knit with (or used to)

friends on the internet with common interests

friends that I consider close in spirit, but unfortunately physically far.

Right now I miss my close friend, PETRA!!!!!! You know who you are. Petra is an animal lover, like me. Petra is very open with her thoughts and emotions to me. Petra & I have a great time just hanging out together, especially when we drink, get more than just a buzz and just let loose whatever is on our minds. Petra is someone I can just grab and ask for a hug and she'll gladly do that for me. I'm not a huggy person with friends nor family, but Petra is such a comfort with just her presence. I miss you. 

Enough of the "woe is me: crap. I think I'll have to cross stitch this. I like decorating with interesting, funny, thoughtful, sarcastic items. This should be my mantra. Sort of like the serenity prayer for AA. 

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BEVERAGES:

Hmmmm, it's after 12 noon. Will a glass of wine relieve my headache? I don't know, but I'm gonna try. Feel free to join me.

My everyday beverage of choice is water. I prefer that over juice and soda. Although I do crave a seltzer water also. Seems that as soon as we leave the East, seltzer is difficult to come by. And of course, you crave what you can't have. Scott has been searching for seltzer for me during his grocery shopping outings. He picked up club soda. Hmmm. What's the difference? I drank a bottle of the club soda and couldn't tell any significant or really any difference. And what is tonic too? I know that tastes different, but still wasn't sure what it was. So the internet to the rescue! From Askville, "Club soda and seltzer water are essentially interchangeable.  Strictly, seltzer is just water and carbon dioxide (made by pressurizing water with CO2) and club soda may have some other minerals added (like salt).  It's more like the difference between Aquafina and Dasani: yeah, there's a difference, but nobody really cares.

Tonic water is genuinely different.  It's really a soda, since it has sugar as well as carbonation.  The key flavor in it is quinine, which is bitter.  (That's why they added the sugar in the first place.  The point was to get you to drink your quinine, which helps prevent malaria.  These days, there's not enough quinine to help with malaria, and it's just for flavor.)"

Which leads to what is quinine?? It is "a bitter crystalline alkaloid C20H24N2O2 from cinchona bark used in medicine" 

Which leads to what is a Cinchona tree? It is a plant, shrub, small tree found in the Andes in South America. And that my friends is how you surf the web.

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PETS:

Here's a uplifting video...sort of. It's from the Lake Cty? SPCA. Unfortunate, that we have so many animals needing home, but thankful for the staff and volunteers that try to help. Check out this cute video, that took a lot of thought. 

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CRAFTS:

I've started my first sock. Yes, I gave in. Knitting socks is the big fad and I got sucked into it. I have a skein of sock yarn that I think is U-H-GG-A-L-Y!!!!!! So what else am I to do with it? I can make socks. It will give me a new challenge and if they turn out, they can be useful, but barely seen. 

This is Knit Picks Stroll hand-painted sock yarn. Now of course, sock yarn can be used for many other projects. It's a great weight yarn for shawls or decorative scarves and to try your hand at lace knitting without using that oh so thin lace weight yarn. I have the book, Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Patterns That Go Way Beyond Socks! , which is full of great projects using just one skein of sock yarn.

What a difference in length!

I've also fixed the arms on my favorite comfy sweater. I have no problem eating leftovers or wearing second hand clothing. When we were living in NJ, I volunteered at the local SPCA. I would also bring donated items there. So a co-worker, Phil aka "Stealth" (because he was a quiet guy and would just come up beside you unnoticed), would donate his old clothes to their thrift shop. Well, I would check out the items and Scott took a couple of pairs of jeans and I took one of the sweaters. Now Phil is a tall guy and this sweater is BIG, with long arms. The sweater is a dark grey (one of my favorite "colors"), made of cotton & ramie. So it is machine washable and dryable and very durable. Plus it is toasty warm! The problem is, the arms are so long and loose that I need to put hair bands around my wrists to keep the sleeves from getting in the way. I have put up with this for three years. Well, I FINALLY put an end to that annoying situation. No, I did not just cut the ends off. Although that would have worked and then just put masking tape as a hem holder. You'd be surprised how well masking tape works for a temporary fix to hems. I've even washed the masking tape hem and it survived a couple of washings before having to actually sew the hem. Back to my sleeves. I unraveled the sleeves to above the length I needed. I then rib knit the sleeves. Turned out perfect! I will probably have this sweater until I die or it wears out, whichever comes first. Have I told you how much I LOVE THIS SWEATER?????

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LIFE HACK:

Simple and effective. We tried this and works great. Better than folding end down.

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End on a good note:

Let's see, the good ...

I "only" have a bad headache. I'm not sick like Beluga Sue has been. I hope you're feeling better.

The truck IS being repaired, even though slowly.

I have a wonderful hubby who leaves me be when needed.

I have a wonderful hubby who is low maintenance, meaning he is not a needy person.

Dina is getting adopted, although I will truly miss her. She is the only dog on the bed with me in my time of woe.

I have a wonderful hubby who likes to cook and is making comfort food (chili) today.

I'm retired with a decent pension.

I'm fairly healthy.

My future options are wide and varied.

And....

my headache has subsided. Still here but manageable.

The RV life is still good.

Update: Scott just informed me that he does windows also. Yes he does. He used his new squeegee to clean the outsides of our RV windows. Thank you dear. 

USPS needs your help

Aug. 19-28, 2013 Jim & Mary's RV Park, Missoula, MT

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"As human beings, we have a natural compulsion to fill empty spaces." 

Will Shortz
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RV LIFE:

The above quote fits in well with why I love the Fulltime RV lifestyle. The more room we have, the more "stuff" we accumulate to fill those rooms. Sure, we could fill up our RV more, but that's more weight that is being towed, more wear & tear on the RV and less room in an already small living area.

If you click the link to the author of that quote, you find he is a puzzle creator! So his meaning is totally different than how I perceived it, but it works for me.

We had some rain last night. It's been a long time since we've experienced rain. Even while in the Pacific Northwest, we didn't have rain! This rain really cooled things off. I'm sitting outside blogging in my crocs and my tootsies are cold! Time for some socks. (Yes, you smart alecks, I have more than just crocs on!)

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FOOD (Beverage):

Yesterday, on the other hand, was almost too hot to sit outside. The saving grace are the 2 shade trees at our site. So to help cool me off, or maybe just to satisfy a sweet tooth, I made some kind of smoothie/milkshake concoction. 

Delicious, refreshing and got a buzz to boot!

So yesterday, I decided to make a smoothie with what I had on hand. Having a double dip ice cream cone within 3 or 4 days, has got my sweet tooth craving more. Let's see, a handful of ice, some 1% milk, add a banana, a lets throw in some chocolate peanut butter, that I'll never use. Blend. Taste...eh. Needs a little "somethin, somethin". Add some Hershey's chocolate syrup and some malt powder. Blend. PERFECT! ALMOST HEAVEN! Yum. No need for ice cream today. Tomorrow is another story!

A few weeks back while in Neah Bay, WA, we were gifted a watermelon. I used some as just a refreshing cubed fruit snack, but I also made a Watermelon & Vodka adult beverage.

Delicious, refreshing and I got a buzz to boot?

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RV MOD:

Sterlite drawers & tubs

Scott went out yesterday in search of plastic drawers for his clothes. We have been looking for 6 months for the same drawers he purchased somewhere along our travels. They are Sterlite, but they are no longer shown on the Sterlite site. These drawers are deep & long with air holes and rollers for smooth opening and closing. I hate when you find a good thing and it's discontinued. He came back with similar but not the same in size. I hope they work, because I get his original Sterlite drawers to add to my stack! 

 Scott's drawers on left, Debbie's drawers on right. (Closet)

We use the large drawers in our closet to hold a lot of items from clothes, to crafts, to computer supplies. They are lightweight and fit a multitude of ways in the closet.

We also have the 15, 16, & 20 quart sized tubs in the basement. They hold enough to keep things organized and stack nicely. When I need something, I can easily take the tubs out to find what I need, then re-stack again. The large 55 quart tubs just hold too much and things get lost in there.

Tubs in basement

Also I have quite a few variants of these type of drawers. 

One set of 6 is under the kitchen table for pens, envelopes, electronic chargers, paperwork, etc.

I use a smaller version for jewelry, and another version for craft supplies. Never enough storage for my crafts.

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BROWSING THE WWW:

Free Stuff Times

I subscribe to this e-newsletter. I don't make use of their info as much now that we are on the road. But they inform us of all kinds of free things. Anywhere from a free cup of coffee at certain restaurants, to free no-snore nose thingies (got those and they help), to free Kindle books, etc. Now that we are on the road, I'm not as interested in getting free items mailed. 

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CRAFTS & PETS:

ONLY last Wednesday, I posted my Rat hammock project. I enjoyed making this simple item to give the Ratkins a cozy bed. Well, ONLY 5 DAYS later and look! I was warned and in the back of my mind, I knew this would happen. 

See the center hanging thingie? Just barely a few pieces of yarn left. To the right of the center, I now have the hammock held up to the cage with a binder clip. I'll keep modifying as they keep chewing away.
It was still worth the couple of hours to make. Even though they are only going to get about a week's use out of it, I was happy the whole time crocheting, knowing I was making this silly little luxury for these sweet Ratkins who will soon be back with their family. They are so easy to care for. I've loved experimenting with giving them people food. They like bran flakes cereal a lot. They will be going home with more food than they came with!
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PET PEEVE:

Ahh, you may wonder what is wrong with this photo? Fellow RV'rs will be looking at the black tank hose in front. Is it kinked? Is the connection not sealed properly? Is the hose overlapping into my RV site? Nope, nope, nope.
It's that white US POSTAL SERVICE PLASTIC BIN!!!! This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I retired from the Postal Service, have a decent pension and the job wasn't too bad. I stayed there 32 years.
These tubs are NOT for your own personal use. I've seen them all over. At many campgrounds, at the vendor's booths at fairs, in people's yards and basements. "The Postal Service Is Losing $50 Million Every Year Because It Can't Keep Track Of These Plastic Bins" 

There is actually a potential $1000.00 fine and up to 3 year jail term for using these tubs for other than mail. Please don't claim ignorance. This is printed right on the tubs. The USPS has offered amnesty for a time. Would the USPS really prosecute? I doubt it, but there's always that one to set an example of.
These tubs are loaned out to businesses who receive a large volume of mail. The businesses should return the tubs with their outgoing mail, or give to their postal carrier for return to the Post Office. Also, these are given out when residents may have accumulated mail after vacations. This is a courtesy to use these tubs so you don't have to try to carry all your mail in your arms, or supply your own tote. Please don't keep these tubs. Drop them off at the entrance of any Post Office, or leave by your mailbox for the mail carrier to pick up.

 Or contact the US Postal Service to set up a return of this equipment.








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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2013 Jennifer's Driveway Boondock, Bozeman, MT
Sept. 2-5, 2013 Mammoth Campground, Yellowstone, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 6-15, 2013 Horseshoe Bend Campground NFS, Lovell, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 16-30, 2013 Wheels West RV Park, Custer, SD

south for the Winter of 2013/2014